Black Lagoon: Broken Saviours
by Ricknarok
Summary: Lagoon Company have been resting on their laurels since their last job. They are comfortable, wealthy and reputable. But the hunt never ends. Old allies are called back into action as the fate of Roanapur itself is on the line when a particularly dangerous adversary makes himself known and threatens to burn all in sight to the ground... 'Book 2 of the "City of Ashes" Trilogy.'
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: World on Fire

Rock emerged from below deck as the sun began to rise. Its light flooded the land and brought the full filth of Roanapur into view. It was a thug's city these days, full of the lowest form of scum. Only two organisations existed here that were in any way involved in actual organised crime. The Triad and Hotel Moscow were two of the most powerful criminal syndicates in Thailand and they effectively ran the city. Otherwise, the city's criminals were little more than petty thieves, troublesome murderers and vile rapists. The class of villainy here had devolved over the last while. It almost would have made Rock sad to think about if he wasn't still adjusting to the fact that he _was_ one of the criminals living here. As the sunlight swept over him, he removed the trench coat he so often wore now and hung it over his shoulder. Lagoon Company had spent the better part of five months living off of their wealth and doing minor, low-risk jobs for Mister Chang and Balalaika. There was not much else to be done in Roanapur. Though there had been a frightening shortage of jobs a while ago, that had since changed. There was plenty of work to be had in the city now. Everything had finally returned to normal. Even so, Lagoon hadn't worked in some time. Their last job and the pay that came with it satisfied them for the time being. Soon, they would return to normal, Dutch had promised that much. Rock heard commotion behind him, turning to see Benny putting on his glasses and buttoning his shirt. He had just woken up, apparently.

"You're up early, Rock," the tech wizard grumbled, his voice slightly hoarse. "Something troubling you?"

"Not particularly," Rock answered. Little troubled him these days. It was a stark contrast to how he had been when Lagoon first took him on. Back then, every little problem that plagued Roanapur would have gotten under his skin. Now, he was more apathetic towards the city's plights than anything. He was more accustomed to living here. That was a disturbing thought, one he was not completely comfortable with. But he did not dwell on it. It never did well to let that issue bother him. "Are the others awake yet?" They had been aboard the boat all night. The vehicle hadn't been taken out of the boathouse in months. Dutch had brought the others out to the water with a few beers to relax. It had been a nice night.

"Nope, just me," Benny answered. "Dutch should be up soon, you know him. If past experience is anything to go on, Revy won't see the light of day until about three in the afternoon." Rock chuckled as he reached into his pocket and produced a cigarette. Once Dutch had arisen, he took the Black Lagoon back home and left it safe and secure in the boathouse. He accompanied Rock into the city. The Japanese man had no plans, in actuality. He just roamed the streets more and more these days, exploring its alleyways and taking in the goings on. They stopped at a café to rest their feet.

"So…what's the real reason you came with me?" Rock asked.

"Hm?" the burly Dutch grunted, feigning confusion.

"I doubt you came out here just to grab a cup of coffee." Dutch sighed as he adjusted his sunglasses.

"To tell you the truth, Rock, I was worried," he admitted. "I don't know what it is you do when you take your little walks into the city. I was just making sure you weren't getting into any trouble."

"You don't have to worry about me," Rock assured his boss, separating his chopsticks and greedily slurping up his bowl of noodles. Dutch remained silent for a few moments as he studied his companion. While he was certainly less vocal about Rock's changes than Revy, he was no less concerned. Rock was a much different man now than he had been when Lagoon Company first boarded his ship in search of a suspicious disk that contained who-knew-what. The transformation Rock had undergone was dramatic to say the least. That was not to say that he was a worse person now. On the contrary, he was still a perfectly pleasant man to speak to. He just concerned himself less with the well-being of others and more with the survival and profit of his own familial group. Once Rock had finished his food, he noticed the mixed expression of concern and boredom on Dutch's face. "I'll be alright Dutch. You don't have to add me to your list of worries."

"Who says I've got a list?" Dutch asked jokingly.

"You know what I mean." The bald man grunted, glancing around the area dismissively.

"Yeah, I know. Just take care of yourself, kid. I don't want to have to get a call off Balalaika or Chang telling me you got your skull smashed against a wall." On that note, the two of them rose and started back towards the apartment. The rest of the day would likely be rather uneventful. It seemed strange to think about, but Rock actually felt like he was ready for things to go back to normal. He wanted regular work again. The money wasn't something that concerned him, considering Lagoon had gotten more than enough from their last job to keep them living comfortably for years. But it was driving him insane doing nothing at home all day or taking part in pointless, pedestrian jobs from Hotel Moscow and the Triad. Rock wanted excitement. He wanted the thrill he had felt that day when he joined Lagoon Company proper, when they had almost been gunned down by mercenaries from the Extra Order. When they returned home, much of the conversation reverted back to prospects of going to the Yellowflag that night to get viciously drunk. The novelty of that had worn off some time ago for Rock. There was no enjoyment to relaxing at the bar anymore seeing as it was one of the only things they did now.

"You coming, Rock?" asked Revy as the other three prepared to leave.

"Again?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I think I'm still recovering from three nights ago, if I'm honest." Dutch veered back into the apartment at the sound of the phone.

"Oh, come on!" Revy exclaimed. "Don't be such a pussy."

"You can't use that as your argument for everything," Rock whined as he threw on his trench coat and headed for the door.

"Damn, you guys aren't gonna believe this," Dutch told them, causing them to come to a halt.

"What's up, Dutch?" asked Benny. Lagoon's leader smirked knowingly.

"You'll never guess who just called me about a job." The three others remained silent in anticipation of what was to come. "Garcia Lovelace. This isn't going to be good."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Meeting of Beasts

The taxi pulled in just outside what appeared to be an estate of some sort. Shrubberies and beautiful flowers of all sorts adorned the place. A young girl in a maid's outfit stood at the entrance, ready to explain the situation. The Wolf flung open the door of the taxi, tossed the driver the fare and strode up to meet the girl.

"Fabiola?" he asked. The letter they had sent him said the girl would meet him at the gate to escort him inside. He was still baffled about how they had pinned down his location to get the letter to him. But he also knew who resided here. Though it was Garcia Lovelace that had signed the letter, Wolf was far more interested in the woman that stayed by his side, the woman, rumour had it, who was now wheelchair-bound.

"You're the Wolf, I assume," Fabiola surmised, looking almost uncomfortable to be dealing with him. That was discouraging to say the least. "Please, allow me to escort you inside." He did not argue. He was both anxious and eager to meet the woman he had heard countless stories about during his training as an assassin. In the business of being paid to kill, you often heard about the best of the best. And the Bloodhound was certainly a legend among even the fiercest of assassins across the globe. Fabiola led him through the gorgeous courtyard as the sound of birdsong reached his ears and a light breeze sifted through his hair. The sunlight bounced off his sunglasses and made him sweat beneath his jacket.

"Mister Lovelace was rather vague," Wolf piped up as they neared the door. Fabiola came to a stop. Apparently, they would not be entering the building. That was disappointing, given the heat of the outside. "All he said was that he wanted to speak to me. And that he _might_ have a proposition for me. I don't mean to be rude, but I don't normally follow up on job offers as unpromising as this one."

"I understand," the girl told him. "We were not sure you would even come. There is a bit more to this than the Young Master disclosed in his letter to you, Mister Wolf." Mister Wolf, that was amusing. The assassin had to suppress the urge to laugh at the mere sound of that. "Please, be patient. He will tell you the details himself." They waited in the courtyard for a few moments until finally the door opened steadily. First, there was only shadow followed by the unmistakable silhouette of a leg until finally the Bloodhound was wheeled out by a young boy with blonde hair. He came to a halt ten feet from Wolf. Fabiola joined the others, then. Wolf removed his sunglasses and stuffed them into his duffle bag. He looked upon the woman he had heard so much about with his own eyes, at last having the honour of being in her presence without being in any immediate danger. Despite the fact that she was missing her left arm, much of her right leg, two fingers on her right hand and her right eye Wolf suspected the Bloodhound would still be quite formidable with a gun. Her last outing had been too much for her, effectively retiring her. His eyes went to the young boy, then.

"I was told I'd be meeting with Mister Lovelace," he said, confused. He had no knowledge of the family and assumed the boy's father was the one who had penned the letter. It had been written well and coherently, after all, not how you would imagine a child would write it.

"I am Mister Lovelace now," the boy replied, extending his hand. "Garcia Lovelace. Nice to meet you." Wolf was taken aback for a moment but shook the boy's hand so as not to seem rude. "I assume you have questions."

"Not many," Wolf answered. "You said you wanted to speak with me. It sounded fairly urgent."

"Ah, yes. To business, then. Tell me, what do you know about a mercenary group known as the Black Marchers?" At the mere mention of the group, Wolf's encounter with a man named Ladarius flashed before his eyes. By killing Ladarius and assassinating his cohort, Rex Huntington, Wolf had effectively wiped out the organisation. However, seeing as how Garcia was asking about them now suggested otherwise.

"They were well-trained," Wolf began, beating around the bush concerning his assassination of its leaders. "And dangerous. Their leader used to serve in the American military."

"A man named Ladarius, if I'm not mistaken," Garcia confirmed. Indeed, he was not mistaken. That was the second time this boy had shown knowledge of things he should have known nothing about. He was well informed and resourceful, apparently. "Well, it's come to our attention that you were the one who killed him. That is what you do, isn't it? Assassinations?" And a third example of knowledge he should not have. Wolf cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"You know a lot of stuff I didn't think you would," Wolf said straight out. "But, yes, I killed him. Why do you ask?"

"Wolf, isn't it?" the wheelchair-bound woman spoke up. Her voice immediately caught the assassin's attention. "My name is Roberta." _I know who you are._ "I serve the Young Master. Just four days ago, a man let himself into our home and confronted us, asking what we knew about your whereabouts. He claimed to be in charge of the Black Marchers."

"He asked about me?"

"He did," Roberta confirmed. "He told us of your exploits, warned us that if we wished to stay alive, we would tell him all we knew about you. We fear he is out for revenge."

"So what is it you want from me?" Wolf asked. If they wanted this man assassinated, they were going to a lot of trouble to explain the situation carefully.

"I want to hire you," Garcia said. "Not as an assassin, but as a bodyguard. I know it's not what you normally do, but I'm willing to pay. Roberta was injured during a…mission." That brokered scrutinising expressions from the Bloodhound and Fabiola. "If she was able, she would protect me herself. But I'm worried this man will return and when he does, I would rather have someone here who can keep me and my family safe." Seeing as there was nobody else here, Wolf assumed the boy considered Roberta and Fabiola family. This was highly unorthodox, not something he was used to. He had never been hired as a bodyguard before. But the boy was wealthy, that much was obvious. If he was willing to pay, the assassin would make an exception. He accepted the offer, much to the relief of the Lovelace boy. He and Fabiola turned to go back inside, though they had left Roberta. Wolf assumed the Bloodhound had asked to be left with the assassin. She seemed as though she wanted a word.

"You…know who I am?" she asked nervously. Wolf smirked, both amused and humbled by her timidity.

"I do," he answered. "I heard a lot of stories…never thought I'd ever see you and live to tell the tale." That provoked a smile from the woman.

"I have heard of you, also," she admitted, much to Wolf's surprise. "An assassin who came from nothing and made a name for himself out of nowhere. I have heard 'the Wolf' spoken across the globe on many occasions. People speak volumes about your formidableness." That was mad, hearing the most dangerous, prolific, ferocious assassin in the world speak praise about him. Compared to her, he was a very small fish in a very large ocean. He considered it a privilege to have her speak so highly of him, though 'formidableness' was not necessarily a compliment. Still, in their line of work, it was as good as. Noticing his silence, Roberta took his gloved hand in hers. She looked him in the eye. "Please, keep the Young Master safe. I fear for his wellbeing. Do all you can to keep him out of harm's way. I beg of you." Wolf hesitated before nodding and patting the Bloodhound's hand softly.

"I promise you, any who would harm him will have to face me. I will tear them apart."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Repercussions of Death

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" asked Garcia as Wolf cocked his Desert Eagle and peered out the window. Below, in the courtyard, he spotted four armed men attempting to hide. They would enter the estate and try to kill the Lovelace family. Though Garcia and his maids had done nothing wrong, this man who now presided over the Black Marchers sounded as though he did not like loose ends. He was probably sending his people to kill the residents of the estate before they could warn Wolf. That didn't go according to plan.

"Of course I am," Wolf replied, almost offended by the question. To Garcia, four armed soldiers was a lot. Roberta was probably the only person that came to mind when he questioned himself about who could face off against multiple enemies. "Now get down. These fuckers aren't going to be too careful about where they're shooting." With that, he descended the stairs and gently unlocked the door. Just as he had anticipated, the Black Marchers opened fire immediately. Their devastating weapons tore the wood and glass of the door to shreds in seconds. When they all simultaneously stopped to reload, Wolf took his chance. He jumped out from cover and gunned down two of the mercenaries. They were wearing Kevlar, which would have stopped any normal bullets on any other occasion. But Wolf recognised the bulletproof vests immediately. His shots caught the two men in the throats and knees, both crippling and killing them instantly. As the remaining two prepared to open fire, he ducked down behind the stone fountain. The barrage that followed smashed the fountain the pieces, just barely missing the assassin. He heard one of them reload. That was smart. It was an attempt to lure him out of cover while the mercenary that had not been reloading would kill him. He did not fall for such mediocre tricks so easily. Instead, he plucked up a piece of the fountain and lobbed it over behind the two men. Once they turned around at the noise of the stone dropping, Wolf popped up and shot them both dead. Had their clunky helmets not restricted their view, they probably would have seen the chunk of stone fly past them. The others came rushing out to meet him. Roberta was no longer in her wheelchair. While she was bound to it most of the time, she was well able to walk on her prosthetic leg when the occasion called for it.

"Roberta wasn't lying when she said you were good," Garcia praised the assassin, both shocked and saddened by the carnage surrounding him.

"We can't stay here, Young Master," Fabiola urged him. "They know where we are. We must flee this place."

"This is our home!" Garcia pleaded. "We can't just abandon it." Wolf holstered his gun once he was sure there were no more enemies in the area.

"Garcia, I know you're a bit down about your fountain and all," he half-joked, "but in an hour these pricks are going to send a team to investigate why their friends haven't reported in. We can't be here when they arrive." Garcia was stubborn. He was unwilling to leave his home, as much as he needed to. But it was not wise to argue, given the circumstances. They had to leave. There was no alternative.

"Where will we go?" he asked, saddened. None of them said anything for a few moments.

"Roanapur," Wolf suggested, images of Lagoon Company entering his head. If they could make their way to the Thai city, Lagoon would surely have no qualms about helping them.

"That city is wouldn't be my first choice," Roberta told them, disgust evident in her voice.

"It's probably more dangerous there than it is here," Fabiola claimed. Wolf frowned.

"I doubt it," he told her, absolutely certain that these mercenaries were not to be trifled with. "Look, Garcia, we don't have a lot of options here. When these fuckers are dealt with, I'll even come back here with you to help rebuild." That wasn't entirely true. Wolf had no desire to help the young boy rebuild his home. But he did not desire to see him killed by the Black Marchers either. "But right now, we have to leave. And I can't think of anywhere else we could go. Call up Lagoon Company, tell them you'll hire them to protect you. Hell, even use half of what you were going to pay me to hire them." That was rather generous of the assassin. Normally, he would not be too eager to give up potential profit. Still, the damage had been done. He couldn't exactly take it back. Left with no other options, Garcia made the call. They were packed and out of the estate in fifteen minutes. Booking passage to Roanapur was easy enough. They could not afford the luxury of going through an actual airport. Instead, Wolf used an old but trustworthy plane pilot who specialised in smuggling people in and out of different countries. Lagoon Company would have done the same job if Venezuela was closer to Thailand. The plane arrived at Roanapur in the evening time. Dutch drove up to meet them on his own. He rolled down the window.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, extending his arm. Wolf clasped it with a resounding _smack_ as he shook his old colleague's hand. "How've you been, Wolf?"

"Busy, apparently," he joked, gesturing to the Lovelace family. "Good to see you."

"You too, my man," he said before saluting the others. "Garcia. Long time no see. I hope you're keeping out of trouble."

"Trouble found us, I'm afraid." Dutch smiled.

"So I hear. Hop on in." They did as they were asked, packing their bags in the trunk. Dutch took off towards the apartment. This was a strange situation but one that felt awfully familiar for all the wrong reasons. The presence of Wolf by his side, Roberta's re-emergence after so long and the sense of danger on the horizon all culminated to give Dutch a strange sense of nostalgia.

"So we agreed on what was discussed?" Dutch piped up. Garcia had called again during the plane journey to finalise details. Dutch was always one to get the nitty gritty out of the way from the get go. "Payment up front?"

"Like I promised," Garcia agreed. "I have your money in the trunk. These guys will be coming after us."

"Yeah, I get that," Dutch wheezed. He was all too familiar with his client's enemies hunting Lagoon Company down. Again, that played on the feeling of nostalgia he was currently experiencing. "So, you want to tell me how-"

"In the road!" Fabiola yelled. Dutch came to an abrupt stop. There was a man standing mere feet from the front of the car, positioned right in the centre of the road. Wearing camouflage combat trousers, black leather boots, an armoured vest and black gloves, he made quite the intimidating figure. There was a grenade launcher in his hand, also. This did not look good.

"Easy," Wolf told them. "I'll have a word with him." Before they could protest, he was out of the car and walking towards the stranger. Wolf only noticed now this man wore a strange but ornate breathing mask. "I hear you've been looking for me." When the man spoke, he spoke with a strange mix of English and Scottish accents. The mask, too, distorted his voice somewhat.

"So the Wolf finally came after the scent," he mocked. "But this time, you are the prey."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Prepare for the Storm

"Here I am," Wolf spat, extending his arm sin a confrontational manner. "Let's not waste any time, I'd rather get this over with quickly."

"And you brought the Lovelace's," the man pointed out, surveying the car.

"Who are you?" Wolf asked, eager to get this over with.

"Kane. The name is Kane Archibald. And I'm in charge of the Black Marchers. You do know who we are, don't you? I certainly hope so, considering you did a damn fine job of wiping us out a few months ago." Wolf shifted his weight as he examined this man. He was quite big, coming in at about six foot two inches. The grenade launcher in his hand was pristine, a weapon that most militaries would not even use. The Black Marchers had evidently become quite wealthy. There was a machete, too, strapped to Kane's belt. It was crude yet sharp, a formidable weapon that would render the quickest of warriors immobile.

"So that's what this is?" Wolf asked. "You're out for revenge because I killed your pals?" Kane sniggered, though he very may well have been growling beneath that mask.

"Not exactly," he clarified. "When I took over the Marchers, it took a few months to get them back to a reputable position. They were the best mercenaries around, you see. In the world of organised crime, the Marchers were an army, unparalleled in their ability to kill and fight. But then I learned who it was that had brought them to their knees. I learned who it was that had killed Ladarius. I had to meet you, to look you in the eye before I ended your life. The Black Marchers are on the rise again, Wolf. And we can't afford enemies competent enough to trifle with us. I'm afraid that means your journey ends here." The speed that Kane displayed next was frightening. In the space of two seconds, he had unsheathed his machete, dropped the grenade launcher and made his way over to Wolf. The assassin was lucky to have reached back for his own blade when he did, bringing it forward to shield himself. What happened next was unprecedented. The fight that followed was like nothing the others had seen before. Dutch had seen Wolf fight, he knew that the assassin was a mean sonofabitch. It was not often that one provoked him and survived. And yet, Kane was clearly winning. His machete tore through the air with unmatched speed and the force behind his swings almost knocked Wolf to the ground. The assassin raised his own weapon and prepared to attack only to leave himself vulnerable. Kane seized his opportunity. He plunged his machete into Wolf's shoulder, missing his chest by only an inch or two. The assassin yelled out in pain, dropping to his knees and releasing his blade. Dutch emerged from the car then, content to watch them fight no more. He raised his Magnum, daring Kane to continue the onslaught. The Black Marcher rolled back swiftly and snatched up the grenade launcher, aiming it at the car. "I wouldn't try it," he warned. If Dutch even attempted to take a shot, the car would explode, killing all around it. The only reason Kane had not fired his weapon already was because the second he did, Dutch would gun him down. Kane backed away from the scene slowly, coming closer and closer to the adjacent street. A jeep swerved in and came to a stop between Kane and the others. Dutch took a shot, hoping to at least kill the driver. The windows, however, were bulletproof. Of course they were. Kane entered the jeep and took off in the other direction. The others exited the car, too, still in shock at the heavily one-sided battle they had just witnessed. It was one thing to see the Wolf have his ass handed to him, it was another to see him have his ass handed to him by a man that seemed as though he could easily kill ten armed men with nothing more than a machete. Dutch went to the injured assassin, who was putting pressure on the wound in his shoulder.

"You alright, man?" he asked. "That looked rough."

"Rough isn't the fucking word," Wolf exclaimed as he coughed. "I'm more pissed he tore through my jacket, to be honest." Dutch laughed before taking the assassin's hand and helping him into the car. They continued on to the apartment.

"What do we do about him?" Fabiola asked, concerned. "If he's just wandering around, shouldn't we warn someone?"

"Good point," Dutch agreed. "I'll have a word with Hotel Moscow and the Triad when we get indoors. I don't feel safe on the streets with that maniac around." That was too true. The fact that nobody ever felt truly safe in Roanapur was only made worse by the presence of the Black Marchers. They could be anywhere right now and they clearly had the firepower and equipment to hold their own against even the toughest of criminals. Chang and Balalaika had their work cut out for them if they hoped to maintain some semblance of order, or what passed for it in this city. As they pulled up outside Lagoon Company's apartment, Rock came out to greet them. The surprise on his face when the Wolf exited the vehicle was palpable.

"Yo," the assassin greeted him jokingly, still holding his wound. Rock offered a warm smirk and a wave before noticing the blood leaking from his jacket.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We got a couple of guests," Dutch told him, ascending the stairs and opening the door. "We were ambushed in the road by this guy. He's a scary motherfucker." Fabiola shot a look of disgust and anger in Rock's direction. The two of them had not exactly left things on the best of terms. As Wolf stumbled into the apartment, Benny and Revy entered the living room to see what all the commotion was about.

"You gotta be kidding me," Revy spat half-jokingly. "I thought I was done looking at your face."

"Nice," Wolf replied dryly. Roberta and the others gingerly crossed the threshold. "And the glasses bitch?! Dutch, what the fuck is going on?"

"I'll explain it later," he said. "For now, everyone come on inside. And close the damn door behind you. I feel nervous enough as it is." As Wolf removed his jacket and shirt, Dutch explained the situation carefully. What had initially been a job to protect the Lovelaces had turned into something far more serious. Kane and his mercenaries were a serious threat, one that had to be addressed immediately.

"So what's the plan?" asked Benny. Everyone looked rather tired. It was late, too. There was no point in doing anything tonight. First thing tomorrow, Dutch would meet with Roanapur's de facto leaders and attempt to fix this problem.

"For now, everyone just get some rest. We'll need our heads screwed on tomorrow." Garcia and his family were told they would be sleeping on the Black Lagoon. There wasn't much space in the apartment and they all preferred to stay together. The others shuffled off to bed, uncertain about what was to come. Only Revy and Wolf remained as the assassin finished cleaning his wound.

"Jesus, that lunatic really fucked you up," the gunslinger said, approaching the assassin and examining the ugly gash in his shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me," Wolf assured her. "This fucker is serious. I really underestimated him."

"I'll say," Revy said as she traced the wound with her finger. Her touch was soft, uncharacteristically gentle for someone like her. Wolf glanced at her hand before looking her in the eye. Upon noticing his gaze, Revy became awkward. She retracted her hand and turned to leave. "Well, try not to bleed all over the couch." With that, she left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Speak of the Devil

"I appreciate that, Sergeant," hummed Balalaika as she entered her office, shutting the door behind her. It was late and she had had a long, tiring day. From what she had been told, there were several unprecedented occurrences taking place across Roanapur. Just last night, three members of the Manisalera Cartel had been gunned down. The attackers had taken off shortly after. Abrego was none too pleased about this. His cartel was known throughout the city and they were not often messed with. Whoever it was that had killed his men was either incredibly brave or unbelievably foolish. In this city, to kill a member of any of the cartels was as good as an act of war. And so Abrego had come to Hotel Moscow, hoping they could find the culprits responsible and deal with them. Tonight, however, she had no interest in looking into this. She could deal with Abrego and investigate his people's deaths tomorrow. For now, all she wanted to do was relax. She took a seat behind her desk. The office was very dimly lit, the only light source being Balalaika's desk lamp. She shuffled through papers and reports that did not interest her. "Will this night never end?"

"Be careful what you wish for," a startling voice caught her ear. There was nobody around to lend assistance. Boris and the other members of Hotel Moscow were either on lower floors of the building or they had taken off for the night. Balalaika had been caught at her most vulnerable. The man that strode out from the shadows to reveal himself did not look friendly, with his ornate breathing mask and a machete at his side. Balalaika did her best to appear unfazed by this man's appearance, though she was undeniably taken aback.

"I don't believe I know you," she told him calmly, setting down her papers and crossing her legs.

"You will," he assured her. "In time. If my information is correct, your name is Balalaika. You're in charge of Hotel Moscow, and by extension, the city itself."

"And why does that interest you, might I ask?" He chuckled.

"Let me tell you something you don't know," he began. "I came here under the impression that an old foe of my organisation would be here. Earlier today, I confronted him. But he escaped."

"So you're hunting someone from your past," Balalaika deduced, folding her arms. She was biding her time until one of her underlings would discover this stranger and attempt to kill him.

"In a sense," he answered. "My name is Kane. Remember it, for when this city is torn to the ground, it will be spoken by any and all who wish to survive. I came here for the Wolf, to watch him die. But the more I saw, the longer I was exposed to this…festering pit of scum and thuggery, the more I realised how far the world has fallen."

"What exactly is it that bothers you about Roanapur, Kane?"

"In my line of work, criminals are professional," he told her, momentarily avoiding the question. "We are connoisseurs of organised crime. People of my stature make millions by the month doing what we do. There is a certain…grace to the way we do things. It's a business. But Roanapur…crime is a fickle thing, here. Those who at one time might have been the best in the business have resorted to petty thievery or needless murder. Your city must burn, Balalaika. And if you wish to see it survive, you will bend to my will." With those chilling words, he turned and left through the door. How he had managed to get in here was a mystery. Judging from the silence that followed, he was successful in sneaking out. That was impressive. The next morning, Dutch made a point of visiting. What he had to tell her was more or less what Kane had told her himself the night before.

"I appreciate the information, Dutch," she told him, "but I fear you are too late. This mercenary stopped by for an office visit last night. He was rather emphatic about his desire to see Roanapur in ruins."

"Well, that's new," Dutch admitted. "From what we knew, he was after the Wolf. What exactly did he say?"

"Something about the calibre of crime in the city not being up to scratch," she relayed, disinterest palpable in her voice. "He sounded like he was offended by how we do things here. For someone who comes from a world of highly organised crime, it must seem so, I suppose. What did you say his group called themselves, the Black Marchers?"

"Yeah. Apparently, they had a run-in with our assassin a few months ago. Kane has spent that time rebuilding them so he could hunt Wolf down. If he's telling the truth, they've got enough people to make a small army."

"Then we need to find him before he can start bringing his people here," Balalaika said commandingly. "Keep your assassin friend close by. We may need him before this is over. Sergeant!" Boris entered the room immediately.

"Yes, Kapitan?" he asked.

"Have a patrol do recon around Roanapur," she told him, lighting a cigar and shoving it into her mouth. "I want to know the instance this man is spotted."

"Of course," Boris agreed obediently, leaving the room. Dutch squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.

"There's something else you should know," he began, unsure about how she would react. She raised her eyebrows. "The Bloodhound is back in town. It was the Lovelace boy who contacted us about this job. Kane came to them asking about the assassin. Just thought you might want to know." Balalaika was frighteningly silent for a moment before she relaxed in her chair.

"Thank you, Dutch. That will be all." Dutch rose from his seat respectfully and left the room. That was troubling news indeed. While Roberta had been incapacitated heavily during her last mission, her presence in the city still bothered Balalaika. The Bloodhound was a vicious assassin, a hard-core terrorist. And Balalaika had no doubt she would still be formidable when provoked. This situation was tricky. She would need to speak to Chang about this.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: On the Horizon

Dutch came back at around midday, just after meeting with Mister Chang. Hotel Moscow and the Triad had been sending out patrols for the last few hours to make sure the streets of Roanapur were safe, or as good as. Roanapur was never safe, that was common knowledge. But Kane's presence made the city even less so. His apparent terrorist-like motives and startling manpower had forced the city's leaders to use their resources to try and find him. The sooner they killed him, the better. He was nothing but a nuisance.

"What news?" Rock asked, eager to learn more of the situation.

"Nothing we don't already know," Dutch told them. Only Rock and Revy were present right now. "There are constant patrols in an attempt to try and catch this guy. Other than that, there have been no new developments."

"Well, we found his truck," Revy said, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"You're shitting me," Dutch exclaimed. "Where?"

"Outside the Yellowflag. It was empty and Bao says he was never in the bar."

"So they just abandoned it? That doesn't sound right." But that was neither here nor there. They had more pressing matters to deal with. "Is Roberta here?"

"In the shower," Revy told him. "Why?"

"I don't think Balalaika was too pleased to hear she was back in the city."

"You told her?" asked Rock, who had thought it wiser to keep the Bloodhound's presence a secret. Hotel Moscow would likely have found out themselves at some point anyway. But Rock had hoped this situation would have blown over by then. The fact that Balalaika knew about the former assassin complicated things. The two would not exactly see eye-to-eye, given the circumstances and how Roberta had behaved last time she was here. Regardless, the damage was done. They would deal with that particular issue when it arose.

"I wasn't going to keep her in the dark, Rock," Dutch scolded him. "It would've been far worse if she found out on her own. Better to get it out of the way now and be done with it." That was true enough.

"Yeah, well, Sis isn't the only one who's not too pleased about that bitch being here," Revy grumbled. Her relationship with Roberta was less than pleasant. They had both tried to kill one another in the past and they didn't exactly get along nicely. To be honest, Dutch would make more of a point about keeping an eye on Revy than Balalaika. He was far more worried about the gunslinger doing something that would worsen their situation. They could not afford to squabble pettily like children, not while Kane was still out there. The leader of the Black Marchers was undoubtedly smuggling his people into the city right now. It would only be a matter of time before he led an all-out assault on Roanapur. When that time came, all anybody could do would be to pray for mercy. Kane needed to be stopped before his forces arrived in full.

"Easy, Revy," Dutch warned quietly. "We don't need any more trouble than we already have on our plate. One problem at a time."

"Pffft, relax, Dutch," Revy assured him. "You don't have to worry about me."

"It's not you I'm worried about."

Wolf almost had his wound bandaged up. The fact that the others were all otherwise occupied forced him to attempt to see to himself. The deep gash in his shoulder was not as painful as it had been last night, though it did still hurt any time he moved his left arm. But he could not afford to be in a sling. If he found himself in a situation that required his combat prowess, he would not allow his opponents an advantage over him simply because he had been injured. Finishing up with the bandage, he made sure it was secure so that extreme movement would not cause it to come undone. It seemed as though it would stay in place. Roberta emerged from the other room then, only a towel covering her. It was strange to see her like this, only a now-healed stump where her arm had been and a prosthetic leg that began at her foot and ended just below her knee. Seeing as how she was also missing fingers and an eye, it was a wonder she could tend to herself at all. But she was no ordinary woman. Her strength, both physical and mental, was unmatched. A crucifix hung around her neck to rest nestled in her cleavage.

"Oh, pardon me," she apologised. "I assumed everyone had left."

"Not me," Wolf told her, smirking. She came further into the room.

"How is your shoulder?" she asked, gesturing with her right arm. Wolf looked at the bandage for a moment.

"It could be better," he admitted. "Kane really knew what he was doing. I've never been so beaten down on before." Roberta smirked, though she looked nervous. Apparently, she had not suspected the leader of the Black Marchers to put up such a fight either. It truly shocked them all how dangerous he really was.

"You will pay him back next time you see him," she said warmly. It was oddly comforting to hear her say that. Wolf had wondered what he would do when confronted with Kane again. He was not sure he was up for another fight, even considering the knowledge he now had of the man's ferocious fighting style.

"I'll definitely try," the assassin claimed, almost laughing at the absurdity of the thought that he would even attempt to pay Kane back for the gash in his shoulder. "But he's…different than others I've faced. I don't think I have what it takes to kill him." As simple as that statement was, it almost hurt to say it aloud. Wolf was confident, sure of himself. There was no target he ever felt he could not defeat. But that confrontation yesterday had shaken his confidence like never before. He had been torn down piece by piece. The thought of facing Kane again was daunting. Scary, even. Roberta placed a comforting hand on his face, lifting his head to look her in the eye.

"You will get stronger," she told him. "And when next you two meet, he will regret crossing you."

"Is that so?" he asked, unconvinced. "How do you figure?"

"I will help you," she assured him. "I will make sure you are ready. For now, rest and let your body heal. When the time comes, you will meet him again. And this time, you will win." She gently kissed him on the cheek before turning and leaving the room. Wolf felt himself blushing involuntarily. He needed to rest.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Conquer

Over the next week, several grey armoured jeeps like the one Kane had escaped in were seen driving around the city. The Black Marchers had arrived in full, it seemed. There were firefights daily between Kane's men and the soldiers Chang and Balalaika had sent out on patrols. Half of the firefights ended with the Black Marchers winning, which was frightening to say the least. Each time they won, their numbers increased in that specific part of the city. It was almost as if they were taking over. By the end of the week, the entire southeast portion of Roanapur was more or less under enemy control. Kane's jeeps made constant drives around to make sure their enemies did not try and enter their territory. Chang was not happy. He was basically unapproachable, his temper now easily lost at the mere thought that an outsider had managed to bring his people into the city and make his home there against the will of the Triad. Balalaika was far more calm about the matter, though if the past was anything to go by, she was just as annoyed as him. She just didn't show it so obviously. Of all the patrols that Roanapur's soldiers had defeated, none contained Kane. The elusive leader of these highly skilled mercenaries was nowhere to be seen. He could be anywhere right now. That was what worried them most. The fact that he was left to his own devices within the city was unacceptable. He was a master of stealth and he would likely target Chang and Balalaika. They were in as much danger as the Wolf at this point.

"So we just wait around here?" asked Revy, irritated to the last. They had been doing nothing for the last week. The most exciting occurrence was when one of Kane's jeeps pulled up outside the apartment and Revy had taken his soldiers out herself. They were probably searching Roanapur for the three individuals Kane now wanted dead. If he was still concerned with lose ends, the Lovelaces were in incredible danger too, for that matter.

"We don't have a choice," Dutch told her. "We can't do anything now. We have to wait until either Chang or Balalaika gives us a call. Kane is out there somewhere. Until they pin down a location, we're useless."

"Bullshit!" Revy argued. "I say we take the fight to his patrols. They'll never know what hit them!" She took her Cutlasses in her hands, eager to spill some blood.

"If you want to go out there and get yourself killed, be my guest," Dutch told her challengingly. He only now realised he was standing and his hands were balled into fists. "But the rest of us are sitting tight. Got it?" There was an eerie tension as Revy remained silent with her weapons in her hands. Finally, she holstered the guns and took a seat.

"Jeez, Dutch," she exhaled. "You don't fuck around."

"She's got a point," Wolf interjected, zipping up his jacket and throwing his duffle bag around him. "Why don't we have a look around? See if we can figure out where Kane makes his home? He has to be using one of the apartments in the area as his base." Dutch almost considered that for a moment.

"If you think you can find him, go ahead," he allowed. "Just don't bring them back here guns blazing."

"No promises," Wolf told him as he left. Roberta, who no longer wore her black dress and had donned her combat equipment, followed him. Revy was close behind. They didn't exactly have a lot to go on. Their plan consisted of heading to Kane's district and having a look around. But it would not be long before trouble found them. Truthfully, they were not so concerned with finding Kane as they were with blowing off steam. One of the armoured jeeps was up ahead, approaching them slowly.

"What's say we give these fuckers something to be afraid of?" Revy asked, once more readying her guns. Wolf smirked.

"You read my mind." He took his Desert Eagle from its holster and aimed it at the jeep. The shot would not get through the glass but it would alert the mercenaries to his presence. He fired. The jeep immediately pulled in just feet from them. Roberta held a cheap Glock in her hand. They were eager to see what she was capable of. Once the jeep's doors flung open, they were not disappointed. She quickly gunned down two of them and dodged an attack from a third. Wolf violently beat down the fourth man until he could no longer take a breath while Revy riddled the fifth with so many holes it was a surprise there was anything left of him to bleed all over the pathway. The three of them essentially punched and shot their way through the southeast of Roanapur. Their killing spree eventually led them to the Yellowflag. That jeep was still parked outside.

"Fuck it, anyone up for a drink?" Revy asked. Neither of the other two answered, though it went without saying that they could use a drink after the last couple of hours. They swiftly entered the bar. Bao looked up to see them enter only to wave them away. It was then that they noticed five Black Marchers harassing the customers. They were asking about Wolf, from the sound of things. Revy recognised the woman that was currently being interrogated; Shenhua. This would not end well for the man who had presumed to grab her arm and yell all manner of expletives at her. Before he could do anything, her blade had already cut through his torso. He grunted for a moment as blood began pouring from his mouth. Shenhua kicked his body to the ground. Just as the other Marchers looked as though they were about to retaliate, Wolf unsheathed his own blade.

"Hey!" he called, advancing on the men. "I heard you were looking for me." His blade bit into one of the mercenaries with anger and speed reminiscent of Kane. The rest of the mercenaries didn't stand a chance. They were defeated in minutes.

"Damn, Chinglish," Revy exclaimed, "you really know how to skin an ass." Shenhua smirked as she pulled her blade from one of the bodies with a sickening squelch.

"I see you got dragged into mess too, hm? And who is your friend?"

"Wolf, meet Chinglish," Revy sneered. "You two will get on just great." Wolf sheathed his blade.

"Ah, so you are assassin Marcher Boy was asking about," she whined. Wolf was about to retort when he noticed one of the men was not dead. In fact, he held a small device in his hand, a device he had just pressed on. A detonator.

"The jeep…," Wolf whispered, the realisation sweeping over him. "Everybody down!" The orange flash that met his eyes had the entire bar engulfed in minutes.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Memories of Peace

Roberta was the first to awaken. When she did, all she felt was the unbridled heat of the inferno that now engulfed the Yellowflag, She came unsteadily to her feet, tearing off a strip of her top and holding it over her mouth to block out the smoke. The others were still unconscious, the flames creeping ever closer to them. Roberta dropped the cloth from her mouth and grabbed the collar of Wolf's jacket. Even with one arm, she still had the strength to pick him up and carry him outside, dropping him down on the other side of the street. She headed back in for Revy, who woke herself and uneasily stumbled outside, her arm around Roberta's neck. Next was Shenhua, then Bao. The other residents of the bar had either made their own way out or they had perished already. Roberta strolled over to where she had left the others and took a seat as she tried to compose herself between throaty coughs. The Yellowflag collapsed minutes later. They could feel the heat, even from across the street.

"God-fucking-dammit," Bao croaked as he regained consciousness to witness the total annihilation of his bar. It had been destroyed before, due in no small part to three of the people now present. But this was more final. While Bao usually had the place back up and running after a few days or weeks, this damage might never be repaired. If the Yellowflag was to be reopened, it would take months.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Revy screamed weakly, outraged.

"Fucking jeep was a bomb," Wolf wheezed as he awoke and sat up, holding his head. "That could have gone a lot better."

"Yeah, no fucking shit," Revy growled. "Man, Dutch is gonna be pissed." Considering they had, in his eyes, destroyed his livelihood, Bao insisted on accompanying them back to the apartment. Dutch did not take kindly to the news that the bar had been destroyed. Not because of the fact that it was the Yellowflag, but because Revy, Wolf and Roberta had been reckless. They could all have been killed in the blast. Not to mention the fact that this would draw Kane's attention. In one way, it might help to draw the mercenary out of hiding so they could finally kill him once and for all. Still, today's events had been less than agreeable.

"How did that even happen?" Rock asked, still confused.

"Car bomb," Wolf explained, irritated.

"A car bomb that wouldn't be there if not for you!" Bao yelled. He was always one to assign blame, despite the fact that Kane would probably have made his way to Roanapur at some point even if Wolf had not killed the previous leaders of the Black Marchers.

"I will eat your face," the assassin threatened goofily.

"That's not funny!" Bao insisted, growing angrier by the second.

"I can give you something to laugh about, if you want," Wolf told him, his voice quieter now.

"Enough!" Dutch called, his voice drowning them all out. "We've gotten ourselves into enough shit already. This has gone far enough. We need to talk to Chang and Balalaika about bringing the fight to the Marchers. Kane's been screwing around the city for long enough." That idea appealed to them all. They were sick and tired of letting Kane have his way with Roanapur. Since he had been here, criminal activity and drug trafficking had taken a serious hit. Part of the reason Chang was so furious was because the cartels had been put to a halt and more attention was being put on Roanapur. The sooner Kane was dealt with, the sooner things could begin to go back to normal. Roberta made her way outside that evening. She stood on the balcony, her eyes scanning the city silently. She heard the door behind her, then.

"We'll probably be meeting with Balalaika tomorrow," Dutch told her as he came up beside her and leaned on the railing.

"That's the Russian woman?"

"In charge of Hotel Moscow, yeah. It's probably best if you don't come along. She doesn't exactly like you very much. And if there's one person in this city that I'm more afraid of than you, it's Balalaika." Roberta furrowed her brow before smiling gently. The memory of her first meeting with Lagoon Company sprung into mind.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know," she assured him. "We're on the same side."

"Nevertheless, I don't think I'll change anytime soon," he told her. "But, yeah, thanks. Good to have you watching our asses." Roberta nodded. She had had a rocky relationship with almost everyone in the apartment at some point. Lagoon Company were not exactly fans of hers. Suffice it to say that they would not be friends with her anytime soon. Wolf, on the other hand, had been getting along with her better than she had suspected. He was a dark soul, one who reminded her of herself when she had gone on her rampage in pursuit of the American military. At that time, she was an unstoppable beast, an animal that would hunt down her prey and let nobody stand in her way. Wolf was similar, though he certainly had more of his wits about him. He was not so caught up in the mission. In fact, he was much more agreeable than many in his business. Roberta was curious to see where their relationship would lead. He was a formidable ally, one she was glad she had the pleasure of knowing and working with. She just hoped his encounter with Kane would not repeat itself when the two killers met face to face once again.

"Roberta?" Garcia's voice came. The young boy emerged out onto the balcony and joined his maid. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just enjoying the evening," she told him. "Thinking. What troubles you?" The look on his face suggested something had been bothering him.

"I'm worried."

"About Kane?"

"About you," he said, much to her surprise. "I was there the last time you were on a mission. I saw what those soldiers did to you. I'm worried that you might not come out of this okay." Roberta smiled as she bent down and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"It warms my heart to hear you speak that way, Young Master. But do not worry. We have many allies in this mission. We will prevail, I promise you."

"But how can you be sure?" Garcia asked, concerned to the last about Roberta's well-being.

"I can't," she admitted. "But this time will be different. We will do our best to help this city. And when it is done, we can return home and live peacefully together. Like we always planned." She pulled him close and hugged him warmly. She would not let any harm come to him. If she had to die to assure his survival, then so be it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Burn

"How far out are you, Dutch?" Balalaika asked over the radio. Her people had spotted a ship just of the coast of Thailand, one she suspected was the source of Kane's mercenaries and vehicles. She had given Lagoon Company the job of sabotaging it. That way, Kane would suffer a huge blow. It was the best lead they had so far, considering.

"About two miles," Dutch answered.

"Good. Radio back when it's done." With that, her voice stopped and Dutch continued towards the ship.

"How many guys do you think are on this thing?" Revy asked. If this ship was indeed where the Black Marchers' reinforcements were hiding, they could expect a lot of resistance once they arrived. Boarding the ship without being seen would be difficult, planting explosives would be harder still.

"Hard to say," Dutch answered simply. "I imagine we'll have our work cut out for us." That was what she feared he would say. At least she would be entertained. These mercenaries would put up one hell of a fight and Revy was in the mood to kill. The ship came into sight not far away. It looked rather desolate from the outside. That just meant those aboard were inside. That was foolish. Perhaps sneaking aboard would be easy enough after all.

"You and Wolf okay handling this on your own?" Dutch asked. The rest of them had elected to stay on the Black Lagoon in case anything went wrong. There was no point in all of them going aboard, especially considering two of the best killers at their disposal were perfectly capable of handling this themselves.

"We'll be fine," Revy answered as she took a drag of her cigarette. "Nothing we haven't done before."

"Alright, then." They approached as slowly as they could. Once Dutch had positioned the boat just right, the gunslinger and the assassin shot a grappling hook from the deck up to the ship. It caught the railing, allowing them to climb aboard. "Remember, in and out. Plant the explosives and come straight back. We don't need any heroics."

"We got it, Dutch," Revy answered. The two killers made their way inside. They needed to get to the boiler room. There, the explosives would do the most damage, assuring that the ship would be damaged beyond repair. As much as Dutch had hoped there would be no complications, Revy couldn't help herself. Inside, she took her Cutlasses and gunned down the first three mercenaries she saw. Wolf was utterly taken aback by this, having been reaching into his duffle for ammo.

"What the shit!" he exclaimed as Revy grabbed him by the collar and dragged him behind cover. He quickly readied his Desert Eagle. Once the Black Marchers in the area had been dispatched, Revy kicked open what appeared to be some sort of vent. She crouched down and entered the dark passage.

"Follow me, and stay close," she ordered. Having quite a bit more experience with boats and their layout than Wolf, the assassin obeyed, though his compliance likely had more to do with the view of her rear end he had than any respect for her knowledge of nautical vehicles.

"You got it," he answered cheekily. As he had hoped, they emerged in the boiler room.

"Alright, get those explosives planted," she ordered him. As he reached into his duffle bag, they heard footsteps from outside. They were approaching fast. Revy ducked in behind the cover of an alcove, dragging Wolf with her. They were extremely close to one another, practically squashed into the alcove. Still, the Black Marchers walked right past them and entered the adjoining room.

"You really need to stop interrupting me when I've got my hand on plastic explosives," he scolded her, provoking a stifled laugh. Wolf only noticed now that her hands were still on his shoulders from when she had reached for him. His left hand, too, had subconsciously gone to her hip. At this realisation, Revy became uncomfortable and retracted her arms. She was a distant person, highly intolerable of closeness with others. It was due to the vulnerability that came with it, Wolf thought before retracting his own arm and climbing out of the alcove. He planted the explosives on the boiler in the centre of the room. "That should do it. Ready to go?" Revy seemed distracted for a moment. At the sound of more footsteps, she snapped out of it.

"Yeah. Let's get the fuck out of here." They returned to the outside using the same route they had taken to the boiler room. As they emerged, Dutch waved up at them.

"I heard gunshots," he said judgementally. "I assume that means we need to get the fuck out of here." The two of them returned to the boat, unhooking the grappling hook clumsily. They headed inside and joined Dutch. "How'd it go?"

"Piece of cake," Revy assured him. "Fuckers didn't stand a chance. Let's get the fuck outta dodge so we can blow them sky high."

"That sounds like a good idea," Dutch agreed, He turned the boat around and prepared to leave only for the boat to halt.

"The fuck is that?" Wolf asked.

"Damn. Did you take in the grappling hook?" Wolf and Revy went outside to check. Though he was almost certain he had unhooked it, the boat was still connected to the Black Marchers' ship. He cut the rope with his blade, allowing Dutch to take off towards home. Revy produced the detonator from her shorts.

"You want to do it with me?" she asked, her thumb hovering over the button. Wolf took hold of the detonator, placing his own thumb over Revy's.

"On three." As they both pressed down, they watched the now distant ship implode from within. The tremulous explosion was a sight to behold. Revy and Wolf both made noises reminiscent of physical pleasure at the sight of Kane's soldiers and equipment going up in flames. It was a glorious sight to behold, indeed, the fall of an enemy. Kane's efforts to hold his district of Roanapur would be seriously hurt now. That gave both Revy and Wolf great pleasure to know that they were one step closer to defeating him. They were coming for him. And when they did, he would regret ever setting foot in Roanapur.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Mon Kapitan

"I appreciate you coming along, Rock," Balalaika said as their car moved at a steady pace through the streets of Roanapur. "Though I'm not entirely certain of your intentions." When she had told them that she would be investigating one of Kane's possible hideouts, Rock had elected to come along. He was not even sure himself why he wanted to accompany Hotel Moscow. He was here now, making his way into a possible warzone. There was no backing out now. A part of him just wanted to be there, to see the extent of Kane's power. To see the effect he had had on the city. Rock had spent so long trying to make a difference by helping people. He had clung to hope that Roanapur could get better. Now, he was far more apathetic. It interested him to look upon the impact one individual could have on an entire city just by rallying others to his cause. Though the Black Marchers were mercenaries, they surely must have held the same beliefs as their leader. Otherwise, they would not be so willing to risk their lives just for some cash. Their numbers were being cut down more and more by the day by Roanapur's protectors.

"Curiosity," Rock answered as he squirmed in his seat. "I want to see what's become of our home, what our enemies have done to it. I _need_ to see." He could almost feel the silent intrigue emanating from Balalaika as she smiled at that comment.

"You become more like us with each passing day," she told him. "The criminals you once tried so hard to change, to save." There was no denying that. They were both silent for a few minutes. Rock peered through the tinted window at the chaos that was currently taking place outside. Crime was running rampant, more brazenly and openly than it had before. There were fights, murders and shootouts taking place in plain sight. The presence and influence of the Black Marchers was causing the city to tear itself apart. If Kane truly wanted to watch the city burn, he was already halfway there. He didn't have to do much before Roanapur's residents tore their home apart themselves. "We're at war," Balalaika piped up upon noticing Rock's silence as he surveyed the carnage around him. "Nobody wants to admit it but Roanapur is now our battlefield and Kane is the terrorist threat we must quell. I fear the city will see far more destruction than it already has before this is over." The thought was chilling, considering the constantly degrading state of what passed for society here. Each day, news of several unwarranted deaths or the explosion of an apartment block reached their ears. Graffiti, too, now marked the walls everywhere they went. Several instances of 'THE BIG BAD WOLF' were scrawled across buildings since Lagoon's last job had ended five months ago. Now, 'BEWARE THE MARCHERS' and 'THE HUNT HAS BEGUN' could be spotted more commonly than Rock would have liked. People were scared. The entire city was essentially under attack. The only way that would change was if they could find Kane and kill him. Without their leader to direct their attacks, the Black Marchers would either be wiped out by Hotel Moscow and the Triad or they would flee Roanapur altogether. Both options appealed to Rock, who wanted nothing more than for this mess to end once and for all.

"What happens when we get to this place?" Rock asked. They were close, now, to the apartment block Kane was rumoured to be staying in. The entire building had been abandoned for months but recent reports suggested there had been lights on in the penthouse just two days ago.

"We blow the building," Balalaika said callously. "And we make sure nobody survived." From her expression, it seemed as though she expected Rock to argue. She was so used to dealing with his caring, moral dilemmas. She was in for a surprise.

"Good," he replied simply, taking her aback. "That makes sense. You can't afford to leave any of them alive. There's no telling what they might do to make sure we don't get away with this." There was no denying that Rock's words were true. It was just frightening to think they came from his mouth. Even Boris, who drove the car in silence unless he was spoken to, appeared to look concerned at the Japanese man's ruthless philosophy. Balalaika remained silent. It was unclear whether she was worried or simply did not care to respond to Rock. Regardless, they had arrived at their destination. The two trucks in front of them were packed with Balalaika's soldiers. They immediately entered the apartment block to plant the explosives and kill any who tried to stop them. What happened next, however, shocked Rock to his very core. Mere seconds after the soldiers had entered the building, it collapsed in a miasma of fire and debris.

"What in the world?!" Balalaika exclaimed with uncharacteristic fear and hysteria. "Sergeant, get us out of here!" As Boris attempted to leave, one of Kane's trucks came barrelling towards them from the adjoining street. It planted itself into the side of the car. Rock slammed his head, causing his vision to become blurry. He was incredibly disoriented when the undamaged door of the car flung open and Balalaika was taken. Firm hands grasped Rock's ankles and dragged him from the car. Once he had composed himself, he spotted five armed soldiers who now held Balalaika, Boris and Rock at gunpoint. None of the soldier's faces were familiar, though Rock had never actually seen Kane.

"Hotel Moscow," the apparent leader of the squad deduced as he stepped forward. "I thought that was your convoy heading for the apartment block."

"Do you have any idea what you have just done?!" Balalaika asked him, her voice deathly quiet. Rock had not seen her angry often. However, when she did lose her temper she was terrifying to behold. There were few in Roanapur who would trifle with her.

"I just took out a sizeable chunk of your forces," the man said cheekily, taking a Dragunov sniper rifle in his hands. The sight of the weapon seemed to entrance Balalaika for a moment. "Kane thought you might be willing to cooperate. Shame that he's ordered us to take you out if you came anywhere near one of our safehouses. Well, he sends his regards." Rock openly feared for his life. This was it, they had been caught. And judging from the Marcher's words, they were to be killed. He deeply regretted coming along now, though even if he hadn't Hotel Moscow likely would have been wiped out. The situation could not possibly get any worse.

 _Smack!_

Without any warning, Balalaika's heeled foot shot into the man's stomach, knocking him to the ground. Next were the two closest soldiers, who did not stand a chance against the combat prowess of Hotel Moscow's leader. Boris snatched up one of the soldier's guns and took out the remaining two Marchers. Still in utter disbelief of what had just happened, Rock made a noise that could only be described as a startled grunt. Balalaika retrieved the man's Dragunov and held it as though she had been using it for years. They were not safe here. If anything, more of Kane's men would be along to finish the job once they heard the gunfire.

"Stay close," Balalaika ordered Rock. "We need to get indoors."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Let Loose the Dogs of War

Balalaika, Boris and Rock stumbled in the door of the apartment late that evening, much to the shock of the others. Dutch had been expecting Rock much earlier, under the assumption that the mission had gone according to plan. As Balalaika had explained what had happened, it became clear that was not the case. Not only had Kane not been in the apartment, but Hotel Moscow lost many valuable soldiers. Though she would not show it on the outside, Balalaika grieved silently for her fallen comrades. She cared more than she let on about her people. Their deaths always hit her hard. As if the day hadn't been bad enough, an outraged Mister Chang arrived not an hour later to discuss their plans.

"This isn't going according to plan," he began, taking a seat. Members of the Triad had accompanied him, though many of his people were out in the streets right now trying to hold off the Black Marchers. "This madness has gone on long enough. We need to do something now!"

"That much is obvious," Balalaika shot at him.

"What about the cartels?" Dutch suggested. "Roanapur's criminal underworld is full of people we'd be lucky to have at our back. Where are they all gone?"

"In hiding, most likely," Chang told him. "Either that, or they're just going about their lives. Despite the chaos, not much has changed for a lot of the people here."

"As for the cartels, they've completely backed off," Balalaika said. "After I told Abrego who killed his people, I didn't hear from him again. We can only assume the other cartels have tucked tail and run as well."

"Give them a call," Dutch said, his voice almost commanding Roanapur's leaders. Though he had no authority over them, he did have a plan, one that would increase their chances of victory significantly. "If we can unite the cartels, they'll provide valuable manpower." Though they were hesitant, both Chang and Balalaika nodded approvingly. It was one of the only options they had left, considering their forces were dwindling more and more by the day. "Benny, see if you can get a hold of the rest of the city's criminals. We'll need all the help we can get if we're going to pull this off."

"The Taiwanese girl's been spotted around town," Benny called back from the other room. "As far as I know, she lives with that wizard dude and the scary chainsaw lady."

"Get on it," Dutch repeated. "They're as good as we can get." Hotel Moscow managed to set up a meeting with Abrego. Though he only led one of the cartels, it was a start. Rock had been chosen to negotiate, seeing as how most of the others were occupied with other matters. Not to mention Rock far outdid them when it came to coercion and talks. They met just outside of town, in a field with patchy grass and rotting crops all around. Nobody would see them there. He had chosen to take Revy, Wolf and Roberta with him. If anything went wrong, they were all he needed.

"Where the fuck is this asshole?" Revy asked. The cartel were fifteen minutes late. That was not surprising, given that they did not want to meet in the first place. They were also probably trying not to be seen by Kane's patrols. Though the cartels travelled in everyday vehicles, the Black Marchers somehow knew the cartels when they saw them.

"Can we trust these men?" Roberta asked, then. The naiveté of the question was astounding. You couldn't trust anybody in Roanapur, that was the point. But they were backed into a corner. The cartels shared a common enemy with Lagoon Company and their associates. They hoped that would be enough to form an alliance, however temporary.

"We'll find out," Rock replied simply. What was more amusing was that Roberta and Abrego had attempted to kill one another the first time the maid had been to Roanapur. Perhaps it was not a great idea to bring her along after all. Three cars pulled up before Rock a few minutes later. No wonder they were so easily spotted. If they constantly travelled in groups of three cars, there was no mystery as to why they had to hide from the Marchers. Abrego stepped out and approached with his men in tow.

"I heard you were looking for me," he stated threateningly. Rock simply took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The cool breeze that blew in made his trench coat sway slightly.

"Abrego, isn't it? I'm here on behalf of Hotel Moscow and the Triad. We're inter-"

"What is _that_ bitch doing here?" he asked, pointing to Roberta. "Don't tell me Fry-Face is so desperate she hired the damned Bloodhound for this job."

"As I was saying," Rock continued, ignoring him, "we're interested in forging an alliance. My bosses want to take the fight to Kane."

"Good fucking luck with that," Abrego spat as he lit a cigar. "I don't want any part of this."

"So, you're content to let your city burn?" Abrego frowned as he exhaled a trail of smoke.

"Look, kid, my business will go on same as usual. Sure, we might have to be more careful in the streets. But, hey, Roanapur has always been a shithole. It's just under new management now."

"You don't realise how screwed you really are, do you?" Rock hissed. Abrego didn't take too kindly to that comment. "Kane will keep on until everything we know is destroyed. You can kiss goodbye to your drug trafficking days if he's allowed to run rampant. And if the Marchers don't topple the cartels, they'll definitely draw enough attention from the outside. Either way, we all lose." The Manisalera Cartel's leader seemed less certain of himself now. Though he was a difficult man to work with, he could not deny that Kane spelled bad news for the entire city. If the criminal underworld sought to survive, they needed to unite in an effort to stop the Black Marchers. "Look, you've got the three best killers in the world behind me," Rock went on. "Get in contact with the other cartels. Tell them what I told you. And when the time comes, put these three in charge of your men and let them loose on Kane." Abrego studied the four individuals before him from behind his sunglasses before dropping his cigar and stamping on it.

"You're a smart kid," he said at last. "Where did Balalaika find you? Alright, I'll see what I can do. Tell Balalaika I'll be in contact." With that, he re-entered his car and the cartel drove off. That went better than Rock had expected.

"He seems nice," Wolf piped up humorously.

"Yeah, he's a real charmer," grumbled Revy, sarcasm dripping from her mouth.

"I'll give Dutch a call," Rock told them. Lagoon's leader would be elated at the fact that Abrego had essentially been convinced to lend his aid to the fight against Kane. Though he liked to play it cool, Rock knew that Abrego would follow through. The leader of the Manisalera Cartel was, like the rest of them, out of options. Once Rock was done on the phone, he remained silent for a few moments. Something was clearly wrong.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Wolf asked as he headed over to the car.

"It's Kane," Rock answered chillingly. "He was at the apartment."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Follow the Scent

"How did this happen?!" Roberta asked, infuriated.

"We think one of Kane's men made his way onto our boat," Dutch explained. "From the ship. He must have told Kane where we were."

"I can't believe this," the Bloodhound continued. It was one thing to have Fabiola taken, but the fact that Kane was not content with one hostage and also took Garcia was almost too much. Only Lagoon Company, Roberta and Wolf were present. Hotel Moscow and the Triad had returned to wherever it was they ran their respective organisations from, though they assured Dutch they would be in contact concerning the cartels. The time to take the fight to Kane was approaching fast. His brazen kidnapping of the Lovelaces only served to usher in the time to fight even faster. "Where did he go? Surely you had someone follow him?"

"Relax, princess," Revy mumbled. "We were off talking to the cartel. What was he gonna do, send Benny after them?"

"I am not in the mood to be screwed around," Roberta spat back at the gunslinger.

"He wants you to follow him," Dutch weighed in. "That's why he didn't just kill the two of them the second he walked in the door. He knows you'll track them down one way or another and when you do, he'll kill you. It's a trap."

"What do you suggest, that we do nothing?"

"I suggest we keep our fucking heads," Dutch insisted. He sighed deeply. "We'll figure this out. The Black Marchers only operate fully in one district of the city. They'd be crazy to take two hostages anywhere the Triad or Hotel Moscow still control. That narrows it down. First thing tomorrow, I'll have someone keep an eye out."

"Who?" asked Rock. "The cartels haven't technically given us their service yet."

"Shenhua," Dutch told them. "Benny tracked her down, asked for her help. She was more eager than I would have thought. Her and those two freaky roommates of hers are stopping by in the morning." That was something, at least. They could all feel the storm approaching fast. Soon, they would have one final confrontation with Kane. When that happened, Roanapur would either be saved or condemned. While none of them were eager for the battle to arrive, they also longed for it to be over. Roberta went to the balcony that night while the others were sleeping. She knew that she could easily track down Garcia and Fabiola's location if she wanted to. She could find them tonight. The thought both pleased and discouraged her. In her prime, perhaps she could have taken on this Kane one on one. But now, she was far from in peak condition. If she was forced to tangle with him, there was no doubt he would overcome her easily. Then, the Lovelaces would be dead and she would have helped nobody. She did not know how to proceed.

"Restless night?" The voice was Wolf's. He strode up beside her and leaned his bare back against the railing. Roberta noticed the wolf tattoo between his shoulder blades, one she assumed had more meaning than just shared symbolism with his name.

"I wish I was out there," she said longingly. "The Young Master needs me. And dear Fabiola…I hate to imagine what those men might do to her. I should be with them."

"If you were with them you'd be dead," Wolf reminded her. "It's like Dutch said. Kane doesn't want loose ends. Just like at the estate. He sent those soldiers to wipe you all out."

"I know," she breathed. That did not change the fact that it pained her to be away from her family. There was a prolonged silence as the two of them simply stood there, taking in the view of the city. The intermittent sounds of gunfire and explosions were unsettling. "Your shoulder seems to be healing." Wolf glanced at the bandaged wound. It was much better now, truth be told. He had been working out since a few days after the injury. Nothing too strenuous that might open up the wound again, just basic exercises to make sure his muscles were healing and doing their job. Part of it was also because he wanted to be in top condition when he met Kane again. He did not want a repeat of their first encounter.

"I need it to heal faster," he admitted. Though it had been healing at a rather impressive rate already, he was not entirely satisfied. He could not afford even the slightest weakness going into this war with the Black Marchers. He had severe issues with vulnerability and weakness, a trait he shared with Revy. "I need to be stronger."

"You're afraid," Roberta told him. He would not admit it, but she was right. "You're afraid that if Kane finds you again, he will kill you." Wolf did not answer, though his expression said it all. He looked away from her. She could not tell, but it seemed as though he longed to say more. Her hand went to his face, turning his head to look at her again. "It's not something you need to hide." He managed a smile at that. It was strange, with others, Wolf had always shown a tough, cold exterior. Weakness and compassion were not things he showed often. But Roberta was different. Though she had possibly committed some of the most ruthless and depraved crimes known to man, she was also one of the most humane individuals currently in the city. And that made Wolf more comfortable around her, in a strange way. Part of him did not like it, urging him to maintain his cold persona. He was not sure where his association with the oddly compassionate Bloodhound would take him.

"You look cold," he told her, changing the subject.

"I'm always cold," she said, referring to more than her temperature. This did not go unnoticed by the assassin.

"Me too," he told her before gently taking her hand from his face and making his way back inside. The storm was coming, and it was coming with ferocious anger. Kane and his army were on the horizon. Only time would tell who would live and who would die.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Aroma of Blood

Revy and Wolf sat patiently in the parking lot adjacent to the street. Lagoon had been keeping watch of one of Kane's patrols. Soon, the jeep would drive past the parking lot. That was when they would strike. Dutch's plan was to have the assassin and the gunslinger pull out in front of the armoured vehicle, forcing it to stop. The cartels, who had now agreed to help in the fight against the Black Marchers, had been positioned on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. They would kill any Marchers they saw. All except the driver of the jeep, of course. He would be ordered to lead them to Kane's hideout. It wasn't the most fool proof plan, but it was the best one they had. Assuming the driver didn't radio back to warn Kane that he had been commandeered, they would be lead straight to the mercenary. Then, they could rescue the Lovelaces and hopefully kill Kane. Even Revy and Wolf together would have a hard time taking out the slew of mercenaries that they would likely be confronted with. That was why the rest of Lagoon Company and Roberta would be close behind. Once the fighting started, they would force their way inside and kill as many Marchers as they could get their hands on. Shenhua, Lotton the Wizard and Sawyer had also promised to lend their aid. With their combined efforts, this did not seem so impossible after all.

"You and Glasses Bitch seem to be getting along nicely," Revy piped up as she propped her feet up on the dashboard and cocked one of her Cutlasses. Wolf was disassembling his Desert Eagle. Seeing as how the patrol wouldn't be passing through for another ten minutes or so, he had the time.

"Yeah, you're going to have to explain that nickname to me later," he replied, ignoring the obvious intrusive contempt in Revy's voice.

"I'm serious," she insisted. "Bitch is fucking nuts."

"We're all a bit fucking nuts, Revy," the assassin told her cryptically.

"Just saying. You're sniffing the wrong doggy's ass there." Though he had a slight hunch about what she was getting at, he left it alone. This was neither the time nor the place to get into that.

"Noted," he answered bluntly. Revy noticed that.

"So how far out is this patrol?" she asked then, as if to rectify any offense she might have caused.

"Dutch said they'd be here at three. About nine minutes, now."

"Can't wait to put a bullet in this fucker," she said of Kane. That once again brought back memories of Wolf's first encounter with the brute. "First one to him gets the kill, right?" He was far more afraid of meeting the mercenary face to face now that the time was upon them. He tried his best not to show it, though it was fairly obvious something was bothering him. "Hey, Wolfy! You awake in there?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," he said, clearing his throat and continuing to clean the barrel of his gun.

"Jesus, what's got you so freaked?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he lied. "Yeah, sounds good. First one to this fucker puts a bullet in his head."

"Or a machete in his heart," Revy joked. Truth be told, it would be tempting to pay him back the same way he had incapacitated Wolf.

"That's more like it." They waited for the patrol in silence. Dutch's voice came over the radio just a minute before the jeep was supposed to pass.

"Only thirty seconds out, guys," he told them. "Stay frosty." Wolf frowned.

"'Stay frosty?'" he asked, holstering his gun and starting the engine. He pulled out onto the street immediately once he heard the patrol approaching. The armoured jeep ploughed into them from the side. Though no permanent damage had been done to either of them, the Black Marchers quickly exited the vehicle. Abrego did not disappoint. The combined forces of the cartels reigned down a firestorm of destruction from above, killing all who had exited the vehicle. Luckily, the driver still sat in his seat, petrified to move. Wolf and Revy immediately entered the jeep and pointed their guns at the Marcher.

"Don't fucking move," Revy told him.

"Where ya headed, pal?" the assassin asked, his Desert Eagle planted firmly between the man's eyes.

"I'm just on patrol!" he pleaded. "I'm not going anywhere."

"And when you're not on patrol?" Wolf asked. The driver became less sure of himself at that and refused to answer.

"Don't fuck around, dickwad!" Revy spat, shoving her Cutlass into the back of his head.

"We-we have a safehouse," he started, "just south of here."

"Go." As it happened, the safehouse was not what they had expected. While they were sure Kane would have been staying in some luxurious penthouse apartment, the building that they were taken to was rather unimpressive. More of a small house than anything, the building looked as if it had previously belonged to the owner of a café, judging from the sign out back. They killed the driver before making their way inside. There were guns, ammo and armoured vests all around the place. This was their hideout, alright. That much was certain. Though the building itself was fairly small, a flight of steel stairs led below the ground. That must have been where the bulk of the Black Marchers were located. Indeed, when Wolf and Revy made their way below, they heard voices all around. There were winding corridors and hallways that stretched across what must have been half a mile of catacombs. As they remained undetected, a voice reached Wolf's ears that he recognised; Kane. There was no mistaking the concoction of accents beneath that breathing mask. It seemed to be coming from the room at the end of this corridor. They made their way to the open doorway and came to a halt.

"…lucky we left you alive at all," Kane spoke. "I was tempted to kill you two the second I walked into that apartment. But I need all of you, don't I? The Wolf, of course. And that maid of yours."

"You'll regret messing with us!" Fabiola told him brazenly. "You just wait, when Roberta gets here-!" They heard a thump and what sounded like Fabiola falling to the ground with a startled cry. Wolf and Revy entered the room then and raised their weapons, only to be held at gunpoint by ten Black Marchers. This was going to be ugly.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: All Out War

"How nice of you two to join us," Kane mocked, resting his machete on the back of Garcia's neck. Fabiola had a fresh bruise appear on her face as she struggled to her feet.

"Let them go," Wolf ordered, more buying time than anything else. Once their reinforcement arrived, they could start this battle proper. That would be their best opportunity to save the Lovelaces.

"Oh, I don't think so," Kane growled. "You don't seem to realise just how fucked you really are. Your first mistake was thinking you could stop me, your second was strolling into the place I have made my home with no backup but the Chinese girl from Lagoon Company." Wolf's grip on his weapon became looser as he urged to go for his blade. A one-on-one, old-fashioned knife fight was incredibly tempting, given Kane's skill with his machete.

"That's cute," Revy said. "He thinks we came here alone." Kane looked confused for a moment as his people approached the intruders and prepared to disarm them. At the first sound of commotion from upstairs, Wolf immediately started gunning down the Marchers. Revy did the same. In all the chaos, they could not get a clear shot at Kane. It was just their luck that the maniac had escaped with the two kids once his people were all dead. The opened door at the far end of the room suggested he had an escape route. They wasted no time in following him. The tunnel led upwards until a trap door emerged behind the cover of a hedge that separated the once flourishing market from the rest of the city. Kane was not in plain sight, though it could be assumed he had gone to one of the streets to hop into one of his patrol jeeps. "We need a car, fast!" Revy exclaimed. The two of them made their way back to the entrance of the house. Dutch, Shenhua, Lotton, Sawyer and Eda, surprisingly, all emerged covered in blood that presumably belonged to the Marchers that had just been slaughtered.

"Damn, you two just can't seem to keep out of trouble," Eda joked, holstering her weapon beneath her nun's habit.

"Bite me," Revy snapped, though she was half-joking. "Dutch, we need a car. Kane got away with the two brats."

"Fuck. It's like trying to catch a damn hamster. Follow me." He led them to what looked like it might have been an army truck at one time. Only Dutch, Wolf and Revy fit in the front. The others hopped in the back and shot at any of Kane's soldiers that attempted to pursue them. The mercenary had apparently alerted the rest of his people to the resistance he was facing. If Chang had been concerned before about attention falling on Roanapur, he was going to be furious when he saw this.

"Where the fuck did you get this truck?" Revy asked, amazed by how resistant it was to the bullets of the Marchers.

"Balalaika loaned it to us," Dutch explained. "She has her people out trying to retake Kane's district of the city right now. This must have been the one truck she didn't ne-" He trailed off as he looked through the gaps in the buildings to the street opposite. "That's our car," he said flatly. Indeed, Lagoon's car was currently in pursuit of one of Kane's jeeps. "That's our fucking car! Goddammit!" Of course it was Roberta that was driving it. "I told that crazy bitch to stay at the apartment with Benny and Rock."

"Looks like they're in the back," Wolf told him as he peered out the window. They should have known neither Rock nor Roberta would be content to simply sit around the apartment and do nothing while the others essentially waged war on Kane and his forces. Dutch took the first turn off and came up behind the car. He blew the horn a few times. Roberta appeared to ignore him. The jeep she was chasing must have been the one Kane was in and, therefore, the vehicle that contained Fabiola and Garcia. They followed Roberta and Kane through the streets of Roanapur for what felt like an age. Clearly, Kane had no destination in mind. His people appeared from every direction and attempted to take out their enemies only to be killed themselves. Right now, all Kane was trying to do was survive and keep his hold on the southeast of the city. He finally came to a stop at the edge of the city, where the street they were on led out into the countryside. Several more armoured jeeps like the one he was in pulled up as if to create a wall, keeping the others from leaving. As if to emphasise this, a second row of jeeps pulled up behind them all to truly keep them confined to this one street. Dutch and Roberta, as though their minds were linked, both positioned their vehicles like barricades to cover them from fire once they emerged into the open.

"That was some sneaky shit you pulled off," Dutch yelled at the Bloodhound over the cacophony of gunfire. They were all trying their best to stay down and out of the line of fire. The situation became quite archaic minutes later as many of the Marchers laid down their guns and opted to use their fists or knives instead. The scene that ensued was quite brutal, consisting of bloodshed, bloodcurdling screaming and several men and women beating the snot out of one another with their bare hands. Lagoon and co were almost overwhelmed until a truck full of Hotel Moscow's soldiers and the Triad's forces arrived to lend aid. That was just the boost they needed. As the onslaught continued, Wolf viciously beat any of the Marchers that crossed his path, desperately searching for Kane. The leader of these horrendous mercenaries was as elusive as ever. The assassin spotted him, however, going toe-to-toe with Roberta in unarmed combat. The Lovelace maid was losing due to her incapacitations. However, Wolf assumed the real reason she had engaged Kane was to allow Garcia and Fabiola to go free. Indeed, the two of them now kept their heads down in the truck Dutch had been driving earlier. As Kane sent Roberta crumbling to the ground with a rather brutal kick to the face, Wolf stepped forward and unsheathed his blade. Kane, upon noticing the assassin, did the same.

"So you came along to burn with this place," he mocked, the grisly machete he was so fond of twitching in his hand, eager to bite into the flesh of an enemy.

"Not exactly," Wolf told him. "I came to kill you." Kane laughed at that, though he might just as easily have been grunting derisively.

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?" he asked. "Especially with that shoulder. Are you sure you want to risk another injury like that?" Wolf took his Desert Eagle in his free hand, as though he might use it for a moment, before throwing it down on the ground. Kane, who also had a pistol strapped to his leg, did not remove it. But he clearly had no desire to use it, either, seeing as how he now gripped his machete with two hands.

"How about I come over there and see if you actually have any guts in you? Then we'll see how vicious an injured wolf can be."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Two-Hands

Revy had her hand on Rock's back as she attempted to keep him down behind the cover of the car. With her free hand, she took out as many of the approaching Black Marchers as she could. Though reinforcements had arrived and Shenhua and Eda provided valuable assistance, the mercenaries did not seem to thin out. There were so many of them. They were fast, strong and capable. Even when they managed to hit one, they wouldn't stay down. These brutes took three or four shots before they died. If they kept up this relentless assault, this war would not be as one-sided as Revy had initially hoped. The Marchers might very well hold their own for a lot longer than it had seemed before.

"Just keep your fucking head down!" Revy ordered as Rock irritatingly attempted to stand up and get a look at what was happening. There was indescribable death and carnage taking place around him. And yet, he did not seem at all fazed by it. He looked on with what might have even been described as curiosity. At this, Revy pushed him back down even more forcefully than before. "Dammit, didn't you hear me?" Benny was trying his best not to get taken down by a stray bullet as he used the open door of the car like a shield. It would not protect him much, truthfully. But Revy saw no reason to tell him that. If he didn't know that already, he would soon. Revy took Rock by the collar of his coat and dragged him over to the army truck, stuffing him in beside Garcia and Fabiola. "Try not to go anywhere, you brats." With that, she finally removed her second Cutlass from its holster. She felt naked just using one of them. Now, she could use her skills of death to their full potential. There had been a time when she doubted she was as good at dual-wielding as Mister Chang. The Triad's leader was a master at the craft, possessing unmatched skill in the art of killing with two weapons. But Revy had since improved quite a bit. There was a reason she was known as Two-Hands. With inhuman speed and agility, she leaped through the air towards a group of Black Marchers. Four of them were dead before her feet touched the ground. Once she landed, she did so between the remaining two. Anticipating that they would fire at her, she dropped to the ground, causing them to shoot each other dead. She wasted no time in hopping back to her feet and continuing the slaughter, sprinting the length of the street and mercilessly killing five more of her foes. None of them stood a chance. Even if they had seen her, she was much too fast for them. They were dead men walking. Reaching the end of the street, she spotted Wolf and Kane hacking at one another with blades. The sight was bizarre but quite exhilarating. The speed and brutality of their attacks were ferocious. Kane was clearly superior, though his opponent was putting up one hell of a fight. It was a sight to behold. Wolf had already sustained a cut across his right cheek as blood dribbled down his face and spattered the road below each time he moved. Kane, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine, with no visible injuries and only a faint bruise appearing on his lower jaw, presumably from being struck with the handle of his foe's blade. Revy took a few steps forward until the fight took place mere feet away. It was now that she noticed Roberta upon the ground, unmoving and mesmerised by the two men swinging at one another. _Of course he stepped in to save that bitch._ The thought almost would have angered her. But there were far more important matters to attend to. One of Kane's men attempted to sneak up behind her. She swung around with the intention of kicking him to the ground but he caught her leg just in time.

"Not today, darling," he told her before punching her square in the face and knocking her flat. The thick armour he was wearing covered almost every inch of skin on his body. Any attempt to shoot him would not work. Revy needed to find another way to kill him. As he approached her, she kicked into his ankles, sending her in the other direction while he fell flat. While he was vulnerable, she shot up from the ground and grabbed the back of his armour, tearing it from his body. He was exposed now, though he was quick to retaliate, grabbing the back of her shorts and dragging her off him before coming to his feet. He never turned his back to her. That would have given her the clear shot she needed. As difficult and awkward as he was being, she managed to jump up on his shoulders, wrestle him to the ground and put several bullets in his back. His blood stained the road as it leaked from his armoured torso.

"You've certainly been preparing for this fight!" Kane's voice could be heard, grabbing Revy's attention once more. She came to her knees and watched the ensuing battle, carnal as it was.

"Not really," Wolf answered between heavy breaths as he blocked two of his enemy' swings. He was quick to reciprocate with an attack of his own that cut through Kane's pants. "Maybe you're just losing your touch." Kane's anger got the better of him as he rushed in only to have his hand impaled by the assassin's blade. He dropped his machete with a scream of intense pain before ripping the blade from his hand and backing off. His blood was pumping from that wound now. Revy could tell from his expression that he could not believe it. The sounds of battle had ceased from the rest of the street, too. Though Lagoon Company and their allies were all badly injured and bodies littered the area, there were no more Black Marchers to be seen. This was it. This was the moment they would retake the city.

"You think I'm the only one?!" Kane spat furiously. "You think I'm the only one who will try and burn this place to the ground? There are worse people than me out there." Wolf was advancing on him now, his blade ready to strike at any moment. "My efforts here have already drawn unwanted attention to this place. There will be others. There are always others." As angry as they all were at Kane, he was right. Sooner or later, the Black Marchers' invasion of the city would attract the most dangerous enemies of Roanapur from around the globe. Wolf cut Kane's Kevlar vest off him and pulled back his blade.

"Noted." With that, he plunged his weapon into Kane's chest and watched as his own blood rushed into his mouth. His body collapsed to the ground pathetically. So it was done. Wolf turned around, anger and emotional instability visible from his face. He had been affected by this encounter more than it seemed. He started back towards the others.

 _BANG!_

They all looked for the source of the noise but their gaze naturally went to the blood that had been expelled from the bullet hole in Wolf's chest.

 _BANG!_

A second appeared in his abdomen.

 _BANG!_

And a third in his other shoulder. Roberta, panicked and incredulous, grabbed the Desert Eagle from the road, came to her feet and pointed it at Kane's face. The mercenary had taken his holstered gun in his hands in one last attempt to kill the assassin. Roberta, apathy, anger and callousness in her eyes, spewed Kane's bone and flesh across the road below him. Revy immediately clambered to her feet and went to Wolf as the dying assassin fell to his knees.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: After

"How's he doing?" Revy asked as Dutch emerged from the apartment. Wolf was in pretty bad shape when they brought him back. After he had been shot, Revy was the first one to reach him. She had shown more emotion than she normally would, something she regretted now. But nobody had noticed, apparently.

"Better," Dutch told her. "He's awake. I told him to drink a lot of water. The doctor Chang sent did a good job fixing him up." That was good news. Too many people had died during that business today. It would have been too much for Wolf to die too.

"He's a tough bastard," Revy said, leaning her arms on the railing. Dutch grunted.

"That he is. But Kane was a tough bastard too. The more shit this city sees, the less sure I am that we'll survive it." They were both silent for a while. "I'm heading out. Got a meeting with Chang and Balalaika. I figure they might want to know what happened here today." Considering many of their people had been killed, that was an understatement. Balalaika in particular would be undeniably upset at the death of her comrades. Their sacrifices would not be overlooked. They meant far more to her than any other individual in the city meant to their boss. Dutch descended the stairs, entered the car and left. From what they had heard, the Black Marchers had almost been completely eradicated. Those that hadn't been killed or executed had fled the country entirely. Their organisation had essentially been wiped out earlier today. Kane's death only made it all the more official. They weren't coming back. Even if another lunatic hell-bent on war tried to resurrect the mercenary group again, they would be unsuccessful. The Black Marchers were dead, for good this time. It gave Revy intense pleasure to know that every last one of them had been beaten, in one way or another. They had trifled with the wrong enemies. Roanapur rarely saw alliances forged like those that had been done during this war. It was rare to see something like that. But it also spoke to the willingness of the city's people to defend against a foreign threat. It would serve as a message to future aggressors who might try and take the city that they would fail. Wolf stumbled out of the apartment, bandages covering almost every inch of his torso. He had been badly hurt today.

"You look like shit," Revy told him. He laughed.

"Thanks. That's what I was going for." He coughed then, his hoarse voice still not entirely recovered. "That was one shitty day."

"You said it. Yellowflag tonight?"

"I could use a fucking drink," the assassin admitted. Both of them were silent as an eerie tension swept in over them. They both had a lot on their minds, more than they were willing to share.

"You never did ask me about that day in the military base," Revy came out with. That statement confused Wolf. "Sif's hideout in the forest." That made more sense. Wolf could feel himself becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

"I was there," he reminded her. "I don't need to ask about it."

"Still, you're probably the only fucking person not to ask," she continued as she placed her hand down on the railing next to his. "Rock, Dutch…hell, even Benny was prying at one point. But you…you just let it be. I don't know how I feel about that."

"I didn't need to ask," Wolf told her, turning to face her. She did the same. "I knew. From the look on your face, the hysteria of your voice…I knew all I needed to know. There was no reason to ask." Their faces were mere inches apart. Revy could feel his breath as he spoke. She thought about turning away, about leaving him there on the balcony. But something inside her kept her there, her eyes fixed on his. This unfamiliar feeling inside her that she had for so long suppressed regarding another had shifted its attention to the Wolf this last while. Judging from his behaviour, his actions, he was in a similar position.

"So…what now? You got yourself shot to shit. And you heard Kane out there. Storm's coming. You better be fucking ready when it does." It almost seemed for a moment as though Wolf might lean in and kiss her. He was incredibly close to her, now, and his eyes were not fully open. She closed her own in anticipation of what was to come, whether she would submit to him or punch him uncertain. But nothing happened.

"You should let your barrier down more often," he told her, taking her by surprise. "There's more to you than meets the eye." He hesitated for a few seconds, as though debating internally about what he wanted to do. Ultimately, he turned around and left, entering the apartment once more. And so the moment was over. Revy turned back around and leaned her head on her hands.

"Fuck…"

"Kane is dead, that's all that matters," Chang claimed, taking a seat across from the already-seated Balalaika. Dutch remained standing. He had come here with the hope of convincing the city's leaders that Roanapur was not entirely safe yet. Kane's last words had been haunting, and they were by no means wrong. All that mattered now was whether the Triad and Hotel Moscow were prepared to listen.

"For now, we must focus on the city, Dutch," Balalaika told him. "Roanapur is still recovering from this chaos. When the time comes, we will be ready to deal with whatever comes our way." That was all he could ask for, he supposed.

" _If_ anything comes our way," Chang weighed in. He was likely more in denial than anything, holding out hope that Roanapur would not see any more heartache than it already had this year. Dutch nodded before leaving without another word. He hopped back into the car and massaged his temples, letting out a sigh as he did.

"Did they listen?" Rock asked, who had come along out of curiosity about whether the city's leaders were ready to continue fighting. Sometime, someone would attempt to cause more trouble than even Kane. When that time came, Rock prayed they would be ready.

"Balalaika came the closest," Dutch told him. "Chang is still convinced the worst is over. I just hope he changes his mind before the end."

"He will," Rock claimed. "He has to unless he wants to watch the city burn worse than ever. What do we do now?" Dutch sat up in his chair and started the engine.

"Simple. We go on like normal. It's back to the grind starting tomorrow, Rock."

Wolf entered the boathouse to find Roberta. She was sitting against the wall, looking out at the sea and the stars reflecting off the water.

"You did it," she told him as she came to her feet. "You beat him."

"Just about," Wolf joked. "That could have gone a lot worse."

"We…almost lost you," Roberta told him as she strode over to him unsteadily. "But Kane is dead now. He will threaten us no more." That was the highlight of the year, as far as Wolf was concerned. While killing his former mentor, Sif, had indeed been a major turning point in his life, the novelty of taking her out had worn off. Now, Kane's death was all that concerned him. It gave him no small amount of pleasure to know the Black Marchers had finally been driven into extinction.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly. "For killing him. There's no telling what would have happened if you hadn't." Roberta smiled as she placed an affectionate hand on his arm.

"Of course." Wolf returned her smile before turning to leave only to feel her hand grasping him tightly. He turned to look at her, the expression on her face uncertain but longing.

"I…I don't want to be alone tonight." That was a bit unexpected, but welcome, in Wolf's opinion. He immediately went to her and kissed her full on the lips, placing his hands on her hips. He would remember this night, the calm before the storm. Soon, he may not have the luxury of finding comfort in others. He would treasure what time he had.


End file.
